Recovery
by Mining300
Summary: Malachite was toxic, the fusion twisted Jasper. A tear in her fabric, a gash in her mind. Jasper now has the desire to fuse, but hates it and seeks to be rid of it. The desire to be rid of her urges leads her to the Crystal Gems, where everything will change. -Set After "Alone at Sea"
1. Jasper's Return

Jaspers were quarts, soldiers made for war. They prized strength and strength alone. Their strength allowed them to be the backbone of the Homeworld army, the defense and offense of the Diamonds. They were strong, but Jasper, herself, had never felt so weak. Fusion was the one thing she despised and now she felt an urge, a calling. She _needed_ to fuse and Lapis had given her answer. No.

" _It'll be better this time!"_

She was weak, mentally corrupted. Lapis had refused to fuse, obviously the more stable of the two halfs of Malachite. She was right, Malachite was bad for them. She was _unhealthy_.

" _I've changed! You've changed me!"_

Jasper lifted and arm out of the water to look at her hand. Water dripped onto her gem. _Yes_ , she did change. She liked fusion, she could never go back. She could never return to Homeworld. She did and liked the one thing that her Diamonds despised. The one thing the traitors practiced. Jasper let her arm drop back into the water. _Who was she now?_

A traitor?

A soldier?

A corrupt?

She felt a flash of pain from inside her gem at the thought. _Those memories would have to stay locked away for now_. Bright flash or not, Jasper would not give in, not in that way. She would never give her physical form. She felt her arm rest on a familiar material, sand.

Had she already washed up on the beach? She closed her eyes. No matter, she had a lot of thinking to do. But, one thing was certain . . . this throbbing pain, the pain of being alone needed to go. She couldn't fuse again, that much was certain, but she needed some way to cope with or neglect the feeling that Malachite brought.

She let out a sigh as her eyes locked onto the Earth's moon in the sky. She stayed still, laying in the sand as it ran from high in the sky until it vanished over the ocean in the distance. The sun would rise to about half way until she heard a sound. She tilted her head upwards and her eyes widened.

The cheap imitation of rose and the pearl walked outside. They hadn't seen her yet, so she moved with haste. She slid up against the side of the wooden structure, the Crystal Gem's base. Jasper wasn't necessarily sure if she wanted to fight them. It would be easy, sure. But, it didn't seem worth it anymore.

"It was strange, Pearl. It was like I wasn't even there,"

"What do you mean?"

"Jasper didn't come after me until the end, she was only there to . . . to fuse with Lapis."

Jasper listened with interest. "Does Garnet—"

"No, I'm not sure how she would react. And to be honest, I'm worried." Steven shuffled his feet.

"Worred? How?"

"Jasper wanted to fuse with Lapis after everything that happened. She wanted the strength. I don't— I don't think she's alright. That and she's still out there, who knows what she's doing right now,"

Jasper's eyes widened, he knew. She clenched her fists, a thought entering her mind. _The fusion . . . Garnet_. She had stayed together for a long time, was there a secret? Did she have some kind of . . . _cure_ for Jasper's obsession? The orange quartz made up her mind and flipped around the corner, startling the two Crystal Gems. She jumped up and landed on the porch, not even ten feet away.

"I appreciate your concern, _The Steven_."

Steven took a step back, "How do you know my name?"

Jasper took a step forward, eyes locked on the renegade pearl."I learned a lot from Lapis during our time as Malachite. Wait . . . you have healing powers." She stopped in her tracks.

Pearl summoned her spear, "Stay back!"

Jasper narrowed her eyes, "Tell me, Quartz. Can you heal the mind?"

Steven's eyes dilated, "The mind?"

"Yes! The mind. These urges, the want to fuse is tearing me apart. I can't stand the— the withdrawal!"

"I— I—"

"Enough!" Pearl charged forward and slashed forward with her spear. It bounced off Jasper's helmet. "Don't underestimate me! I may be a Pearl, but I'm enough!"

"Who do you think you're fooling. You're not just a Pearl, you're Rose's Pearl. You've struck fear into Generations of Gem creators. You are the symbol of defiance and you've earned it; oh yes, you have. I will not underestimate you, but understand one thing. We don't have to do this."

Pearl's stance falted for a second before she corrected it, "I won't fall for it."

"I am not here to fight, no matter what you think. I need to get this desire for fusion out of my Gem. I can't go on with it. It's _killing_ me."

Pearl lunged forward and swiped at Jasper with her spear, earning several dodges. Jasper grabbed the spear and kicked Pearl's stomach, sending her to the other side of the balcony. The spear disintegrated in Jasper's hand. "Let me talk to the fusion,"

Pearl looked up, shocked. "You want to talk to Garnet?" She narrowed her eyes, "Why?" Her eyes widened slightly, "Garnet would not fuse with you!"

"What? That's not—" Jasper jumped up as a plasma bolt slammed into the wood, the place she stood before. Jasper grabbed onto the roof and pulled herself up. Pearl jumped up, higher than Jasper did and threw her spear at the Quartz.

Jasper did a backflip as the spear broke through the roof, creating a small hole. Pearl landed and summoned another spear. "You don't understand! Fusion is not something to seek for power, it is a relationship. You have to work for it, earn it. It's not yours to take."

"Are you cracked?! I'm not here to fuse. What kind of idiot do you think I am?! I JUST NEED IT OUT!" Jasper took a deep breath, trying to control herself. "Just let me talk to the fusion. She has to know. She does know,"

Pearl's grip loosened, "Know what?"

"Yo, P!"

Jasper turned behind her to see a spin blur of purple approaching her. _The Runt_. Jasper put her arms in front of her, forming an X shape, to block the attack. Her feet dug into the roof and she pushed on the purple gem, they bolted over her.

"Amethyst! Don't be so reckless!"

"C'mon, P. Garnet isn't too far and with Steven's powers back a little crack won't do much! Besides, we have something she doesn't! Fusion!"

"Amethyst, I'm not sure that's the best idea."

"What? P?" Amethyst looked over at Jasper, who looked _very_ mad. "I think it's a good enough idea when Jasper's giving us that death stare."

"ENOUGH! Where is the fusion?!"

"Hey."

Jasper's eyes widened and she spun around, lashing out with her arm, intending to strike the person who snuck up on her. Only problem was that her arm was grabbed and she was twisted and thrown off the roof. She landed in the sand, a small crater forming in her wake. She pulled herself up, feeling the sand in her hair. "Great," She shook her head and stood to her feet.

She heard three thuds behind her and a series of smaller footsteps. "Garnet, be careful." she turned to face the Crystal Gems, not a single one missing to her knowledge.

"Fusion, finally. We come face to face once again,"

"What are you doing here? Are you still here to take us out?"

"No, as I've stated before, I didn't come here to fight. I need your help, fusion."

"I doubt I can help you with your . . . problem."

"But you have to! You're the only one who can! You're the fusion, you know how fusion works and feels. How do I get rid of this obsession?!"

"I can't help you. I haven't defused for a lengthy period of time in the last five-thousand years. You're on your own."

"What? No! I can't live like this! I need to get rid of the is feeling," She clenched her fists. "If you aren't going to help me, then I want you— I want— you need to— SHATTER ME!"

Garnet took a step back, "What?"

Jasper fell to her knees and put both of her hands into the sand, plunging her fingers through the rough substance. "Just . . . end it. I can't go on," Jasper stayed like that for several minutes, waiting. But, nothing came.

"Absolutely not." Jasper looked up to see the Pearl looking down on The Steven. "No way. We let you have your way with Peridot and Lapis. Even Centipede, a Corrupted Gem."

Steven sighed, "Yeah, I know it's not a good idea. But, Jasper's not the same as she was before. She's hurting. During our time on the boat and now, I can see that Malachite affected her. It hurt her in ways that I'm not sure I can understand. Besides, if it isn't this, then you guys are just going to kill her. So, please, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, let me try." Steven waited for a response.

Garnet cleared her throat, "You will be watched the entire time,"

"Right," Steven turned towards Jasper. "Hey, Jasper. I'm not sure what will happen from here, but you can come with us. We'll try our hardest to help, as long as you don't try to kill us."

"Not like I have much of a choice."

"That's . . . uh, not the spirit I was hoping for, but it will do. For now." Steven looked up at Garnet. This was not going to be easy and extremely dangerous. But he knew, Jasper needed closure. He looked out towards the ocean. Lapis needed closure.


	2. First Hunt

"Fusion is a relationship, an agreement between two gems. It is not a battle for strength, it is a collaboration of the two or more halves that make up the single entity," Garnet clasped her hands together, "Fusion is not initially for strength or power, but does provide it when needed,"

Jasper grumbled, sitting on the couch. "I know. I heard you the first eleven times,"

"No, you don't. Now tell me, why are you addicted. What are you addicted to?"

" _Fusion_. I thought that was prematurely established,"

"What part of fusion? The strength?"

"Like I could explain it. It tugs at me. It's the strength, it has to be. Yet, it feels much deeper. Through my entire body, I can feel an ache, in my gem I feel a peculiar feeling." Jasper lifted her head to look Garnet in the face.

"You need to find the root of your problems and move forward from there. This is your problem and you need to fix it,"

Jasper clenched her fists as Garnet turned and walked away.

"But we'll help if we can!" Jasper turned her head slightly to see Steven smiling at her. "At the very least, we'll try,"

Jasper grunted and lowered her head, covering her eyes and nose with her hair.

Pearl leaned down to Amethyst's height, "We don't know anything for certain, she might attack once she gains her sanity back,"

"IF she gets it back," Amethyst turned her attention to Steven, "This is going to backfire for the little dude. We should keep an eye on things, y'know, from the shadows."

"Agreed, Jasper was the last major threat,"

"What about Lapis and Peri?"

"No, I want to feel this out more. Jasper might not even make it a day,"

Amethyst nodded, "Good thing Garnet is watching her today,"

"Jasper! Let's go!"

Jasper looked up as Steven ran past the couch. "Huh?"

"You like fighting, right?"

Jasper perked up, "I was _made_ for fighting," She stood to her feet and look over to see Steven and Garnet on the warp pad, "So were you. You're a Quartz, just like me,"

Steven shrugged, "Well, c'mon! We're going to fight a Corrupted Gem!"

Jasper smiled, "Finally, what I really needed. A _distraction_!" She lumbered over and stood on the Warp Pad, behind the two Crystal Gems.

Garnet nodded, "Steven, would you do the honor?"

Steven nodded and trio warped away, it lasted only for a few short moments before they were in the middle of a forest. Jasper turned to look around them, "This is the place that disgrace picks to hide? Pitiful,"

Steven huffed, "Jasper, they used to be like us. They've just lost their way is all,"

"Forever. They've become animals, twisted and turned beyond use,"

Steven winced and looked at Garnet, she was scanning the forest bed. She lifted an arm, "That way,"

Jasper turned, "How do you . . . ah, I see it." She jumped forward and entered a full sprint, with Garnet on her tail on Steven just falling short. They entered a clearing with a small animal-like creature. "There!"

Garnet shook her head, "Wait—"

Jasper pounced forward, "You're mine!" She punched downwards, her fist tore through the small beast and it poofed, small amounts of smoke came from it's remains. Way too little smoke. Jasper scanned the ground for the Gem, "Where . . . ? Where is it?!"

"There's a mother nearby."

Jasper turned. "A mother? It can spawn others? So, what? Are we fighting an army?"

Garnet shrugged, "Possibly. We fought a few mothers before, there shouldn't be too many spawns."

A monstrous roar came from the heart of the forest, birds flew away in panic. Again, they set off, quickly traversing the forest. This time, Steven was carried by Garnet, making the travel much faster. Jasper reeled to a stop, "A spawn!"

She was about to strike when a large spike came barreling through the trees. She bent her knees, about to jump, "Jasper!"

Steven flung himself in front of her and summoned his bubble. The spike turned to dust on collision with Steven's bubble and he let it down. "I didn't need your help! I was fine on my own,"

"I just wanted to make sure, Jasper. That thing was pretty fast,"

"I'm aware. If i can't dodge an attack like that, then a jasper like me is too weak to go on." She walked past Steven, in the direction of the attack.

Garnet walked up to Steven, "Are you hurt?"

"No, no. I'm fine. It's just . . . I want to help her. I stepped in to protect her and she just yells at me. I know she's proud and everything, but she can't do this on her own. No matter how much you want her to,"

"I know. Also, never do that again or you're grounded." She walked forward, following Jasper.

"But bubbling is my thing!" He ran to catch up with the other two.

The three walked forward and Jasper looked to the ground. She narrowed her eyes. "Hmmm . . . we're following it wrong." She tilted her eyes up and scanned the trees.

"Left."

Jasper stopped and whirled to look at Garnet, "What?"

There was a loud screech causing Steven to cover his ears. Jasper and Garnet turned to the screech and a spider-like Corrupted Gem landed in front of them. It's gem was on the top of it's chest. The gem was spherical in nature and the Gem creature itself was shades of blue. It hissed at the three.

Jasper couldn't help but chuckle, "This— this will be easy." She lifted her arms into a fighting stance. She sprinted forward, arching an arm backwards.

Steven took a step forward, but Garnet held him back. "Let her have this."

Jasper slammed her fist into the creature's head, forcing into back, it's legs bending to adjust to the attack. "You're _nothing_. You've always been!." She grabbed it by the neck and through it to the ground. It landed on it's back, squirming. "This is your fault. You have no one to blame but yourself," She walked forward, towering over the squirming Corrupted Gem. "You would've been safe on Homeworld,"

The Corrupted Gem's legs twitched, latching onto Jasper's arms. "Hey!" It lifted her up, baring it's fangs at her. "You— let me go!" The Corrupted Gem threw her against a tree. Jasper landed in a crouched stance. "Hm, seems I was wrong. You're definitely stronger than I gave your credit for. However, you are still an animal. Even if you are strong for a Pearl, you can't win."

Steven gasped, "That thing's a Pearl?"

Jasper grunted, "You had a choice," She launched forward, driving her fist through the Corrupted Pearl's neck. It screeched and poofed. Jasper bent down and picked up the Gem. She could feel a tingly sensation. She had never felt this in a Gem before. She tossed the Gem over to Garnet, "Do whatever you want, harvest it for all I care," She sighed with content, "I won." She walked past Steven and Garnet. She lost her smile, and walked back in the direction of the Warp Pad.

Steven watched as she walked away from them, a terrible feeling came over him. "That . . . did not help."

Garnet walked past him, "Let's go,"

Steven balled up his fists and turned back to where the battle had taken place. " . . . right,"


	3. Dream

Steven opened his eyes and sat up. He was in a hole, the walls and floor made of sandstone. "Where— where am I?" He stood to his feet and the wall directly in front of him started to crack. He summoned his sheild as a reflex, the air around him turning a light pink. The rock gave way and fell to the ground, turning to dust upon impact. Steven sighed and walked forward, entering the dark hallway. He looked up the walls, seeing misshaped Gem holes. _Was he in a Kindergarten_?

Regardless, he continued forward. He focus on where he was going, the wall in front of him seemed to be crumbling in his wake, as if it was for him. He started to jog, he must have been here with the others, but why couldn't he remember anything? His eyes widened as his body shot through the air, towards the ground. He must've tripped. Steven hit the ground much harder than he thought. He lifted himself up and turned his head. Sure enough, there was a rock sticking out of the almost endlessly perfect ground. The rock shook before shooting back into the ground.

Sweat started to run down his face, "Guys!" He rushed to his feet and entered a full sprint, "Garnet! Amethyst! Pearl!" He looked up and his face paled, the sky was turning a dark red. "Peridot! Lapis!" Upon Lapis's name being spoken, the ground shook and Steven was forced to stop. He heard an angry, monstrous roar from the distance. He took a step back, "I— I don't understand. The last thing I remember is going to—," He took another look around, orange walls, red sky, anger upon Lapis's name. "going to sleep." Steven summoned his bubble, preparing himself, "Okay, here we go. JASPER!" The walls around him dissipated and the sky started to twist and turn, swirling colors of red and orange. The ground stayed a stable sandstone. He let go of his bubble.

She wasn't there. The only thing other than Steven was a large pink gem, shattered and floating, as if in statis. It was hovering around a white light. Steven walked over to the gem, gently poking at it. His hand went through it. _Okay, so not real?_

He heard a large thud and turned around to see a tall corrupted gem, orange in nature. The placement and shape of it's gem, he could recognize it from anywhere. "Jasper?" It growled and lunged forward. Steven's pupils dilated, "Jasper?!" He summoned his bubble as the monster slammed into it, knocking him into the other side of the bubble. "JASPER!"

Steven shot out of his bed, his eyes locked on his hands. "Oh . . . oh, man,"

"Steven!" It was muffled, distant. He looked up to see Pearl practically pressed against his bubble, shouting at him. _His bubble?!_

He dissipated his bubble and Pearl rushed to him, "Are you okay? We heard you shouting in your sleep and then you summoned your bubble!"

Garnet entered his vision, "You were shouting about Jasper," She turned to look at Jasper, who had started to lean against the side of the house. "Nightmare?"

Steven shook his head, "No, I don't think so. I . . . saw something. Jasper?"

Jasper turned her head to Steven, "What do you want?"

Steven turned to the other Gems, "Guys, a little privacy?"

Garnet nodded, "We'll be outside if you need us,"

Pearl looked in between Garnet and Jasper, "But, Garnet!"

Garnet tapped her shades, "It'll be fine, Pearl. Amethyst, let's go,"

Amethyst and Pearl shared a brief look, obviously upset about Garnet's decision. They followed the fusion outside. Steven turned to Jasper, "Are you okay?"

"You're the one that was yelling, besides, why do you care?"

Steven sighed, "Does a sandstone Kindergarten ring any bells? One with misshapen holes?"

"Beta."

"Huh?"

Jasper turned to Steven and started to ascend the stairs, she walked over to the edge of his bed, looming over him. "How do you know about the Beta Kindergarten? Have the others told you?"

"No. I . . . saw it. When I was asleep I think I may have entered your mind. Remember when I entered Malachite?"

Jasper narrowed her yes at the mention of the monstrous fusion, "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, that happened again, except this time it was in— the Beta Kindergarten?"

Jasper grunted in thought, "There is a lot you don't know." She clenched her fists and turned around, walking down the stairs.

"Jasper, I saw something while I was asleep. Are you okay? I saw . . . corruption."

Jasper's eyes widened. _The song._ She squeezed her eyes shut, to keep the light in. She pushed down her memories. "You think . . . you think I'm going to become one of those things?"

"I— I don't know. I don't want that for you, for anyone,"

"Call the others in,"

"What?"

"Do it!"

Steven turned towards the door, Pearl was looking in, so he waved and they went through the door.

"Steven! Are you okay?" Pearl glared at Jasper.

"Forget about that!" Steven turned towards Jasper, "Why? Why doesn't he know about the Beta Kindergarten? What else have you kept from him?"

Pearl's glare turned to a surprised look and Garnet's mouth was slightly agape. Pearl started to speak, "How do you—"

"Beta KIndergarten?"

Jasper focused on Amethyst, "I . . . I see." She narrowed her eyes. " I see what you do. And I really thought there was a difference. Well, aside from fusion policy. You Crystal Gems aren't really different, are you? What else have you left them out on?" She was now looking at Garnet and Pearl. "Well?! What else have you kept from them?! How far have you pushed them under?"

Garnet stepped forward, "You have no idea what you're talking about,"

"Really? So, why leave out the Beta Kindergarten? Why leave them in the dark?! Is it because they're Quartzs? Why? Your leader was a Quartz?! Or was this _her_ idea?"

Pearl snarled, "Leave Rose out of this,"

"What? Does that strike a nerve?"

Pearl took a deep breath, a frown adorned across her face, "At least _our_ leader was successful,"

Jasper's eyes widened. "You . . . dare?" She summoned her helmet, "You dare talk about . . . . _her_?" She balled up her fists and grit her teeth.

"Guys, cut it out."

Amethyst walked up to Pearl, "Maybe it's not best to aggravate her . . ."

Garnet summoned her gauntlets, "Stand down, Jasper."

Steven watched on in horror as the two readied for battle. _Was the Gem from his dream the one Jasper was talking about, if size meant anything then it would have been a Diamond. Pink Diamond. What happened to her_? Steven summoned his shield. He reeled back and threw it as hard as he could, it smashed into the ground between the two clashing parties. They turned to look at him.

"Guys, c'mon. I don't know what's going on between you, but I don't think you guys should fight!" He looked directly at Jasper, "Jasper . . . look, please don't fight us. I'm just trying to help." His eyes widened as he noticed something.

She turned to look at Steven, "Help? Help?! I've been fighting since I broke free of this planet's crust!" She smashed her right foot into the wooden floor, "Because of Rose Quartz! Because of what Rose Quartz did to my Diamond! Besides," She turned to the three Crystal Gems, "You're right . . . _you_ want to help." She watched as the Gems looks turned horrified, "What?! Scared?"

"Jasper . . ." She whipped back around to Steven, he was a lot closer. "You do need help and I can do it. It just started, please . . . let me heal you,"

"Heal me? What are you going on about? I don't have any physical cracks!"

"Jasper, your hand,"

Steven watched as Jasper look at her hand, seemingly unsurprised by the blue and green corruption spreading along her wrist. "I can fix it this time, I _can_ heal you,"

"This time? Have you failed before?"

Steven started to walk forward cautiously, "Yes . . . but this just started, I can do something!"

Jasper clenched her hand, "I don't _need_ your help. I won't become one of those . . . animals. This planet will NOT twist me to become some MINDLESS BEAST! I am a Jasper," The corruption started to shrink. "and we don't give up so easily." She raised her fist to look at the last of the corruption seep away.

Steven eyes widened, "You . . . you're not . . .?"

"Don't remind me."

Steven looked between Jasper and the gems, tension was sure to grow. " Hey! Why don't we . . . check out Beta? You seemed really serious about it."

Before Jasper could respond, Pearl cut in, "We are coming,"

Steven stepped in between Jasper and the Gems, "No! I mean—"

"The runt is coming." Steven turned to Jasper as she continued, "Don't you want to see the other Kindergarten? The other . . . half?"

Amethyst nodded and started walking forward, "Amethyst!"

"Don't worry, P, I got this covered." She winked and moved to the warp pad.

Pearl started to moved forward when Garnet grabbed her shoulder. "What?"

"We're staying here."

"What? Why? We can't leave Steven and Amethyst alone with Jasper!"

"We can," She tapped her visor, "just give it a moment."

Steven and Jasper walked over to the warp pad. Steven sighed in relief as the warp pad activated.

Pearl watched as the blue energy from the stream dissipated, "Are you going to explain Garnet?"

"Ever since Jasper arrived, I've been peering into my future vision more, that's why I've been so relaxed. Most of the futures I've seen don't result in Steven getting hurt, and even less because of Jasper. He'll be fine, besides . . . Steven and Amethyst can handle Jasper _together_ , if need be,"

"So . . ."

"We're not needed for now. Relax Pearl. We're soon going to lose that luxury,"


	4. Jasper's Reveal

Steven looked out into the ruined— literally ruins— canyon. "Is this . . . ?"

Noone said anything, Amethyst was currently looking along the walls, at the misshapen holes that stretched as far as she could see. Steven turned to look at the other, taller, quartz. "How long has it been?"

". . . over five-thousand years . . ." She shook her head and scoffed, "Let's go, you two need to see this place _fully_ ,"

Steven took a deep breath and started to walk forward, "There are no Corrupted Gems here, right?"

Jasper stayed silent, but did shrug. Amethyst started walking, catching up to Steven, "No way we could know,"

Steven nodded and the three walked in silence. It was a simple pathway: straight. It reminded Steven a lot of his dream, straight and linear. "Hey, Jasper?"

Jasper turned her head slightly, "What do you want?"

"How did you do it?"

Jasper knew what he meant, _the corruption_. How did she save herself when no one else could? "I'm a Jasper; I won't lose easily. And I won't let this planet corrupt me." She turned her head to the Gem holes marked across the canyon walls, "What do you know of the war?"

Steven chuckled nervously, "Not much,"

"Noted. You've probably noticed how these holes are . . . _not right_." As soon as the words left Jasper's mouth, Amethyst lowered her head. "This is the mark of the tipping point in the war. Homeworld was losing and needed more troops on the ground, so they started a Kindergarten in the most unlikely or desirable of places . . . here."

"What's wrong with this place?"

"The placement is just wrong! Everything that came from here came out deformed or misshapen because of it. And they paid for it,"

"They?" This time it was Amethyst who spoke.

"The Gems that came from this place, deformed and broken. They were contradictions to the Homeworld ideal." Jasper lifted her hand and examined it.

Amethyst's arms shook. "You don't have the right to decide who is right or wrong. Just because they don't fit in your stupid Homeworld ideal doesn't mean they were wrong!"

Jasper stopped and scoffed, "It's fact, _all_ Gems made here were and are defective in some way, shape, or form."

"That doesn't mean _we're_ weak!"

"There is nothing you you can do or say, _we are weak_ ,"

Amethyst stomped a foot into the ground as Steven's eyes widened. He whispered, "We?"

"Oh! You think you are so _special_ don't you?!"

"I can't argue with that, and yet—"

Amethyst charged forward, throwing a punch— easily dodged— at Jasper. Amethyst turned her body and pulled out a whip, attacking Jasper with a thrust of her weapon. Jasper grabbed the end of the whip. "Calm down, Runt. You didn't listen, did you?"

Amethyst pulled on her whip, it didn't budge. "What are you even talking about?!"

"Look behind you,"

Amethyst glared at Jasper, "Oh yeah! Like I would—"

"Amethyst," It was Steven, "Look,"

Amethyst desummoned her whip, shooting one last glare at Jasper before turning around, "Woah." The hole was straight unlike the others. A big Gem, that apparently had been flexing at the time, came from here. She knew who it was immediately.

"You're not the only quartz from Earth. I was made here, during that pitiful war."

Amethyst turned to face her, "You said all Gems made here were weak, did you . . . ?"

"Yes. Have you ever felt the true power of fusion? We quartzs were made for strength and security. It's what we are. Fighting validates that, but fusion . . . you can feel a new world of power. You feel so inconsequential, you aren't needed or even worth the ground you're standing on or made from when that power exists. _We_ are weak in the grand scheme of things. We don't matter,"

The air got cold and stiff. What Jasper said actually rang a bell for Amethyst, Sugilite was stronger than anything Amethyst could ever dream of achieving. Strength, a level of power, she could never reach.

"No, you're wrong." Amethyst turned around to face Steven, "Fusion doesn't make you feel like that. It makes you feel good . . . wanted. It doesn't make you feel bad because you are part of it,"

Amethyst looked down.

Steven took a step back, away from the two. "Guys, c'mon." He looked up at Jasper, "You're not weak. Neither of you! You guys are strong, just because some people are stronger doesn't mean you're any less. Fusion or not, your worth still exists,"

"You don't understand. How could you? You can't fuse! And you definitely don't know the pressures of Homeworld! I'm a disgrace! I fused with another Gem, a forbidden arrangement. Not even another quartz!" She had started to walk forward, "I'll be crushed for disobeying a direct order from Yellow Diamond!"

"But, you're not on Homeworld, you're on Earth,"

Jasper stopped. " . . . _Earth_." Jasper turned her head as a spinning ball of purple light slammed into her shoulder. It was enough to push Jasper away, but she shrugged off the attack. "What are you doing, Runt?"

"Stay away from him!" Amethyst had summoned two whips and started to run at Jasper.

"Amethyst! No!" Steven shouted too late, _the fight had begun_.

Jasper let the whips slam into her, she didn't budge. Amethyst jumped into the air and threw one of her whips at Jasper, forcing the large quartz to jump out of the way. Jasper landed and turned up to Amethyst as a second whip wrapped around her torso, tieing her arms to her body.

Amethyst landed on the ground and entered a mad sprint for Jasper. She reeled her fist back, but at the last moment she saw Jasper smirk.

Jasper kicked her in the stomach, knocking her away and causing her to bounce off the ground and slam into the wall. Amethyst stood to her feet, shaking. Jasper entered a slow walk towards the smaller quartz, flexing enough to snap the whip tieing her arms down. "You never stood a chance,"

Amethyst coughed, "I knew you were stronger than me, but _this_ is just ridiculous. How can you be this much stronger than me?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" She stopped right in front of Amethyst.

Steven eyes widened, getting a bad feeling.

"I came out right and you," Jasper pointed at Amethyst, "came out wrong."

"No! That's not true!" Jasper turned to Steven as he continued, "Just because she isn't as big as you doesn't mean she is _wrong_." He shivered, "She's just different. And that's not wrong." He turned to Amethyst, "Please . . . don't start a fight,"

"Steven—" Steven shuttered again, this time grabbing his arms for comfort. "Hey, Ste-man, are you alright?"

Steven looked to his left and right, "I—"

He was cut off by a roar, a close one. Jasper grunted, "Corrupted Gem,"

Amethyst turned to another roar, "Hey, was it just me or was that one different?"

And that's when it happened, a collection of roars and scream-like screeches sounded out throughout the Kindergarten. Steven started to back up, towards Jasper and Amethyst. "How many could there be?"

His question was soon answered. Corrupted Gems of all shapes and sizes started to pour into the somewhat open space they were in, drawn to the presence of three Gems. Steven's eyes widened as he saw a fusion experiment.

"Steven." Steven turned as Amethyst walked past him. "Stay behind me," She sprinted forward, jumping into a spin dash. Her spinning form slashed past a small Corrupted Gem, poofing it's form. She slid to a stop and quickly bubbled the Gem. She summoned a whip as another Gem lunged at her. She thrashed her weapon forward, hitting the Gem across the canyon, into the wall. It landed with a thud, a catalyst to jumpstart the others.

Three corrupted Gems loomed over Amethyst. Fear entered Steven's mind. "Jasper you have to—" She was gone. Jasper had left. He turned back to the fray as an orange blur raced towards combat.

Jasper knocked the Corrupted Gems away. "Stand tall, Runt! You're a quartz soldier, be proud." She punched down another corrupt as they charged.

Amethyst snorted. "I thought I was _wrong_ ," She slid under the belly of a Corrupted Gem, wrapping a whip around it's front legs, flipped to her feet and pulled, bring the Gem down onto it's stomach. She waited for Jasper to drive her fist into it's head, poofing it. "How am I going to be proud of that."

"So, now you're going to start listing? You're a rebel; a Crystal Gem. Besides, it's your application that makes you wrong or right. Pride is the first step." The two soldiers went back to back.

The two found themselves surrounded. Jasper and Amethyst leaped forward, punching and kicking their opponents. Gem after Gem poofed and Amethyst bubbled a few.

"You're faster than I gave you credit for!" Jasper smiled, "If you had technique you would be a decent fighter!"

"From you, I'll take that as a compliment." Amethyst's eyes widened as more Gems appeared, "How many are there?!"

"AH!" The two quartzes turned as a pink bubble smashed into them. Steven was inside, bruised and bleeding from several cuts. "Sorry guys, I tried to hold out,"

Jasper grit her teeth, she could practically feel the amount of Corrupted Gems. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the forced fusion, her mind instantly on the old war. She scoffed, "What worth is there?" She rushed forward, past a surprised Amethyst and worried Steven. Her aim: a corrupted Quartz soldier. She stopped in front of the beast, placing a hand on it's face and over it's Gem, on it's chest. "For a failed soldier like me and you?!" THeir Gem's glowed, giving freight to Steven and Amethyst.

Their bodies turned to light, a pure white, and they merged. Their fusion was big, clawed, and with hooves and horns giving it a monstrous feel. It was a dark orange, with brown and black stripes. It laughed, eyes Steven and Amethyst for a moment before turning it's attention to the Corrupted Gems surrounding them. It stomped forward, hesitating before roaring and snarling.

That was enough to send the Gems away, scampering and tripping out of their sight. It chuckled once more before splitting. Jasper stayed on the ground as the monster slipped from her control and sprinted away. Steven and Amethyst ran over, Steven had a smile on his face. "Jasper! You saved us!" His excitement died down as he looked at her arm. "Corruption . . ." He shook his head. _Jasper had this_. _She pushed it down before, she could do it again_.

Jasper closed her eyes and stood shakily to her feet. The corruption only growed.

Steven quickly licked his hand and started walking over to Jasper. Amethyst grabbed his arm, "Be careful."

He nodded. "Jasper, it's going to be alright. I'll heal—"

She jumped into the air, away from him and landed with a heavy thud, several feet away from Steven. "Stay away from me, ROSE!"

The air grew cold. Steven took a step back, "Wh-what?" His eyes widened as Jasper recovered from her surprise at her outburst.

"You don't _understand_ , but she would." She placed a hand on her growing corruption. "Rose was special, my Diamond's favorite quartz. I know she shattered her because she needed a catalyst, not out of hate. I hate her, but she's not the quartz I hate the most."

Steven opened his mouth to speak, but Amethyst beat him to the punchline, "What are you saying?"

"Do you know what I had to do . . . to survive? My sisters . . . I was the only survivor. My Diamond is gone . . . PIECES! Do you know how hard I've tried to forget?! Why do you think I like fusion so much?"

"Fusion isn't supposed to make you feel bad!" He winced as Jasper fell to her knees.

" _Bad_?! It doesn't make me feel terrible. It makes me feel . . . less. I'm no longer me! You can lose yourself, become someone entirely new." Her shoulder bulged and she bit her tounge in pain. "A chance to forget . . ."

"No! Jasper, we can work through this!" Steven took a step forward, "Y—you could be a Crystal Gem,"

Jasper chuckled, "A Crystal Gem. The very same I came here to finish off. Listen, corruption is my last shot to forget the war and what followed!" She pulled her limbs in closer as they surged with corruption. "I don't want to be me anymore, so just let me die,"

Amethyst watched as Jasper became more and more corrupted. _She pitied her_. The bigger quartz. She looked over at Steven, he was looking at the ground, he was almost crying. She felt her own heart snap. She looked back at Jasper, the one who couldn't return Homeworld; her home. "Wait— Steven! Heal her! You still have a chance!"

Steven's head snapped up and she could see the hope in his eyes . . . right before it vanished. "I can't,"

"What?"

"I don't have her consent," He narrowed his eyes at Jasper, "JASPER!"

She had to struggle to look up, pain in her eyes, "What?" Her breathing was heavy and her entire body morphed beyond her physical form.

". . . I'm sorry that things couldn't work out. You would've been great." He waited a couple seconds before turning on his heel and limping away. "C'mon, Amethyst, we don't want to be here when she changes."

Amethyst found her throat very dry at that moment, but followed him. She found herself looking back at the quartz soldier as they rounded the corner, " . . . goodbye, sis."

The two walked in silence. Once near the Warp Pad, Amethyst grabbed Steven's arm. "Hey, you alright?"

He sniffed, "Why wouldn't I be?" Amethyst felt him rench his wrist from her grip, "Let's go."

He stepped onto the Warp Pad. Amethyst looked down to see small circles of wet sandstone, _very small_. She looked up to see his back turned to her. "I—" She was cut off by a loud roar in the distance.

She quickly stepped onto the Warp Pad and turned for one last look of the Kindergarten before Steven activated the warp stream.

 _Jasper was back home_.


	5. Birth of the Future

_Silence_. An eerie silence had filled the room some time ago, forcing the air to become stiff and rotted. Yet, no one had decided to leave. Even Lion, the one to mysteriously disappear from to time to time, stayed for some unknown reason. Amethyst hadn't stopped moving since the day's events. She paced around the room, often times staying in place and shuffling her feet. She even opted to throw a few practice punches, although stopping occasionally to glance over at the dark-haired human boy. Steven had been sitting at the foot of his bed, staring at his deactivated and cracked TV since he had returned.

Pearl hadn't stopped tapping her foot or glancing between the two. Neither her nor Garnet had any idea what went down in the Kindergarten, but both had their own ideas. Peal's had stemmed from the idea that Steven had been limping when they returned. _He hadn't said a word in hours_.

Garnet had also stayed silent, not unusually. However, she was getting tired of it. Something had happened and she wanted answers. She cleared her throat, watching as Amethyst stiffened and Steven flinched. _Neither said a word_.

Pearl sighed, "Can one of you just tell us what happened? At least why tell us why Steven was limping."

Amethyst looked up at Steven, he was still droning out on the blank screen. She gestured for them to follow her and she walked outside, pushing the screen door out of the way. She walked well onto the beach, turning to find the two other members of the Crystal Gems staring expectantly at her. "Steven was limping because he was attacked by a Corrupted Gem,"

"So not Jasper?"

"Pearl!" Amethyst's voice cracked causing Pearl to reel back.

Garnet walked forward and put a hand on Amethyst's shoulder, "What happened to Jasper? What happened between you two?"

Amethyst looked down, "We . . . learned a lot. Jasper was from Earth. Earth! That and the fact that she can't return to Homeworld," Amethyst's face turned when she saw Garnet's weak smile, but not for the better.

"Not the conventional reason to shift sides, but having Another Crystal Gem is always on our goals,"

"What?!" Pearl took a step back, "You can't be serious!"

"There were many possibilities of this, Pearl." Garnet adjusted her shades, "Jasper joining us was almost guaranteed. It'll be a long road, but it's one we can accomplish,"

"Garnet." Amethyst was looking the taller fusion in the eye, "She saved us. Jasper saved us from the Corrupted Gems, but she paid the price. She's no longer with us. She's corrupted and we couldn't save her,"

Garnet's smile fell, "She's . . ."

"Gone." She walked past Garnet and Pearl, "Steven was right. She would've been great." She turned her head slightly, "Don't tell him about the possibilities, he'll just feel worse,"

Steven tapped his foot, still deciding if he wanted to go through with this. _How could he tell them? Would they understand?_ He breathed in, activating the warp stream and letting it take him. _He had made his choice_.

It took him a few minutes after he was at the next Warp Pad to arrive at his destination. Just seeing the two going about their daily activities made him smile. Lapis and Peridot were watching the tv . . . in a truck that was suspended over the door of the barn. Steven came to the conclusion that the two had renovated. "Hey, guys!"

The sound of the TV went out and he heard a flap of wings and a thud. The two had come down to greet him.

"Steven! It's so nice to see you." Lapis smile, faltered a bit at seeing Steven's dusty appearance.

"OH MY STARS! What happened to you?"

Steven blinked, "Huh? I don't look that bad, do I?"

"You appearance modifiers are torn! All of them! Did you get in a fight?"

"Kind of,"

Peridot blinked, expecting a second part of his statement that she never got. She cleared her throat, "So, where are the others? Did they get hurt? What brings you here?"

"Everyone's fine, Peridot. They just don't know I came here. Oh! And I just want to get my mind off things, so I came here to . . . hang?"

Peridot chuckled, "You know you're always welcome here! Right Lapis?"

"Absolutely. Steven, you're our friend. You're always welcome,"

The small quartz boy smiled, "Thanks, guys. You have no idea how stressful things have been. And . . . all for nothing. So, what do you guys do around here?"

"Camp Pining Hearts." Both Peridot and Lapis said simultaneous.

Steven blinked, "Oh, well . . . how's things been?"

"Great!" Peridot was practically bouncing with energy, "Lapis and I have got along splendidly and we're on season five of CPH!"

"Cool . . . can I . . . watch?"

Peridot gasped, "Last time I asked you you said no!"

"That because I already watched the first four seasons,"

"Lapis! Fly us in!"

Lapis smiled, "No,"

"Fine. What about Steven?"

Lapis shrugged, walked over and grabbing Steven. With a flap of her wings they were up in the back of the truck. Peridot slid out of the wall next to them, "So, so far, one of the camper's have ran into the woods after an infection broke out in Camp Green. There's a camper is looking for him."

Steven nodded as the three sat down.

 _It started_.

" _Hello?! Is anyone out here?!"_

Steven watched as the character walked into an open area to find another camper,

" _What— what are you doing this far out?"_

" _I've come to call you back."_

" _What?! No! I like it out here!"_

" _But—" The camper stopped cold as the show centered in on an infection blistering from Jacob's right hand and wrist. "You're infected!"_

 _The infected camper smiled, "I know. Isn't it wonderful!"_

Steven's smile dropped like a stone, this seemed way too familiar.

" _What? Are you nuts?!"_

" _Of course, not! This infection will set me free!"_

" _I have the antidote! I can heal you!"_

" _No. I don't want to be healed. I like it better this—"_

The tape cut off, delivering an eerie static instead. "Aw, what?!" Peridot grumbled, "This never happened before . . ." She looked over to Steven, ready to apologize for the faulty equipment, to see him barely holding in his tears, staring at the floor. She made eye contact with Lapis and nodded. "Oh! There's got to be other parts around here, we'll just have to repair this faulty human device. We'll finish the episode, don't worry, Steven."

"No, Peridot." Steven sniffed and wiped his eyes, "It's not the that, it's just . . . it reminds me of the Beta Kindergarten and what happened there,"

"Oh, Beta. What a rush job that was." Peridot grumbled.

"Yeah, it was made during the war, wasn't it?"

"Yeah— wait, how do you know that? Did Pearl tell you?"

"No . . . Amethyst and I checked it out. There were some Corrupted Gems,"

Peridot raised an eyebrow, "Corrupted Gems?"

"Gem beasts." Lapis immediately covered her mouth, eyes widening, "Sorry," She dropped her hands and looked off to the side, "remnants of Malachite."

"Wait, did Malachite influence your thoughts?" Steven asked.

"No! No. I don't know much about them, but information of any kind wasn't really . . . _secure_ in Malachite. The fusion was so unstable that our thoughts just bounced around. I didn't get many of Jasper's thoughts, but I did hear that,"

Peridot cringed at the mention of Jasper.

"So, that's how . . ."

"That's how what?"

Steven looked up at Lapis and sighed, "Jasper. She knew I wasn't my mom. She knew because of Malachite,"

"Steven," Peridot was now next to Steven and whispering in his ear, just loud enough for Lapis to hear; although, not intentional. "I try to avoid using the J-word."

Lapis scoffed, "I can handle it, Peridot." She turned to Steven and nodded, "What was Jasper doing? Did she come to fight you?"

"No." Steven's response caused Peridot to gasp dramatically. He glared at her before continuing, "Malachite messed her up. She was even willing to get shattered just to forget the feeling. And, in the end, it wasn't far from what happened. It might of been better if we went with the shattering instead,"

"What?" Lapis and Steven turned to Peridot, "Shattering? But, you're Steven! You give everyone a second chance!"

"I gave her a second chance and . . . she took it. I had hope that things would— no one deserves corruption,"

"What is corruption?"

Even Lapis looked towards Steven for answers. "Uh . . ." His eyes widened, remembering what Garnet had told him in regards to Centipeetle. "When you crack your Gem you tear the body," He looked towards Lapis, then towards Peridot. "When you become corrupted you tear the mind." He looked to the ground, "It can't be fixed."

"But, you healed me,"

Steven looked up at Lapis, "That's different. You were cracked, not corrupted,"

"So what? You're giving in? You've never givin in. You didn't give up on Lazuli or myself, so why now?" Steven turned to Peridot, wide eyed. "Sure, Jasper is . . . well, annoying, loud, and reckless, but you saw something and you shouldn't give up just because of this _corruption_ ,"

"But—"

Peridot continued, "You bubbled the Cluster, Steven! If you can do that, you can beat corruption,"

"The cluster . . . that's it," Peridot raised an eyebrow and looked at Lapis, the Lazuli Gem shrugged. "I think I understand. Thanks, Peridot!" He turned to the hole in the wall, the one Peridot had been using to translocate. "I'll see you guys later and hopefully everything will be okay." He stepped into the hole, falling and tumbling to the bottom. He groaned and licked his palm, pressing it on his arm. He stood to his feet and walked forward, hearing a thud from behind him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I promise I'll see you guys around."

He walked forward, waving at Lapis, and nearing the Warp Pad. One last thought entered his mind,

 _Would Jasper want to be healed?_


End file.
